


Short Fics Collection - Gen Edition

by deirdre_aithne



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Light Angst, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-08-27
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2019-10-23 12:04:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 2,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17683091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deirdre_aithne/pseuds/deirdre_aithne
Summary: A collection of drabbles, drabble series, and short fics (under 1,000 words), set in the Harry Potter universe.





	1. Protection

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Title:** Protection  
>  **Character(s):** Eileen Prince, Severus Snape  
>  **Rating:** PG  
>  **Word count:** 100  
>  **Warning(s):** Brief mention of abuse (no details)  
>  **Prompt(s):** slytherin100 - Ward  
>  **Summary:** Eileen protects her son.

Her body, too thin to be healthy, trembled slightly as she waved her wand before the door. A few inaudible words passed her lips before she lowered her wand and staggered back. The years of abuse had taken their toll, and any exertion of magic left her weak.

The door to her ratty home in Spinner's End slammed and she stiffened, stuffing her wand beneath a loosened floorboard. Eileen made her way towards the stairs and steeled herself for what was to come.

It wasn't much, but the least she could do was ward Severus' room from that monster tonight.


	2. Rainstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Title:** Rainstorm  
>  **Character(s):** Draco Malfoy, Scorpius Malfoy  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 350  
>  **Warning(s):** Light angst  
>  **Prompt(s):** fanfic100 - Rain  
>  **Summary:** Some memories only come out when it rains.  
>  **Author's Notes:** OMG, I used canon! That's...so unlike me, lol. Also, all mistakes are mine, cause this wasn't beta'd.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.

The late summer rain pounded against the windowpane, glistening briefly in the reflected lamplight as it raced along the glass towards the sill below. Draco had long since given up on focusing on the piece of paper laying in the center of his desk. Instead, he found himself watching the rivulets of water as the storm continued on.

It had been like this that night so many years ago. He could hear the squelching mud beneath his boots as he followed his cloaked mother from the Apparition point to the secluded house where the Dark Lord held his meetings. Throughout it all, he had heard the rain, pounding on the roof above them as loudly as his own heart had pounded in his ears.

As he lost himself in the thoughts, he felt the phantom pain in the faded mark upon his left arm. Nothing more than a memory, but it always felt so real, even now. In the back of his mind, he remembered the unchanging expression on his mothers face as she watched. Later that night, when she thought he was nowhere near, she had broken down in the room she now slept in alone.

He'd never heard his mother cry before, and even then, it had been muffled by the constant snap of rain against the walls and windows of their home.

“Daddy?” Shaking his head quickly, Draco turned his face away from the window to meet the curious gaze of his young son. “You look pale, Daddy, are you sick?”

Subconsciously, Draco smoothed the sleeve of his robes over his left forearm before he stood, leaning down to take the boy up in his arms. Scorpius hugged his arms around his father's neck as Draco picked him up, holding him firmly with one arm as the other reached up to ruffle his short, blond hair.

“Just tired,” he answered, carrying his son from the study and closing the door behind them before heading towards Astoria's sitting room. At least in the main part of the Manor, he would no longer hear the rain.


	3. Christmas Holiday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Title:** Christmas Holiday  
>  **Pairing(s):** Ron/Lavender  
>  **Character(s):** Ron Weasley, Lavender Brown, Arthur Weasley  
>  **Rating:** G  
>  **Word Count:** 262  
>  **Prompt(s):** crossgendrabbles - Lavender/Arthur, meeting the parents  
>  **Summary:** Lavender meets Arthur.  
>  **Author's Notes:** This piece won the challenge for the week, so hey, that's cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.

“Well, you must be the lovely witch who stole our Ron's heart!” Arthur Weasley smiled at the witch clinging to his youngest son's arm, and she didn't even tear her eyes away from Ron long enough to answer.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Ron nodded. “Dad, this is Lavender.” From the corner of his eye, he glanced at his girlfriend and then back to his father. Lavender was still watching him with her usual wide, doe-eyed expression, and it was uncomfortable enough at Hogwarts, let alone in front of his family. “Uhm, Lavender, this is my dad,” he tried, gesturing with the arm that was currently free of her vice-grip.

This time, she turned her head to look at Arthur with her smile still in place. “Good to meet you, Mr. Weasley,” she said, holding out her own free hand. Arthur accepted it for a quick shake and nodded.

“It's a pleasure, Miss Brown.” As soon as he released her hand, Lavender wrapped her arm back around Ron's and returned to watching him with adoration. Trying not to chuckle at the sight, Arthur glanced around at the other families retreating from Platform 9 ¾. “Well then, kids, shall we be going then? Molly is looking forward to seeing you, Ron. And to meeting you,” he added with a small nod to Lavender.

“Oh, wonderful!” the witch squeaked, loosing one of her hands of its hold on Ron to grab the handle of her trunk. “Come on, Won-Won! I can't wait to meet your mum!”


	4. Engagement News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Title:** Engagement News  
>  **Pairing(s):** Scorpius/Rose  
>  **Character(s):** Draco Malfoy, Rose Weasley  
>  **Rating:** PG  
>  **Word Count:** 351  
>  **Prompt(s):** \- Draco Malfoy/Rose Weasley, Malfoy Mannor Library  
>  **Summary:** Breaking the engagement news.  
>  **Author's Notes:** This piece won the challenge for the week, so hey, that's cool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.

Bright flames flared in the fireplace of the library, reflecting in the glass of Firewhisky on the table beside his chair. Arching one thin brow, Draco lowered the book in his hands until it lay open in his lap, wondering who was Flooing in unannounced at such an hour. It took him a moment to recognize the young woman who arrived in the swirl of luminescent green.

Hardly over eighteen, Rose Weasley stood on the rug before the fire, her expression torn between hurt and anger. She had all the coloring of a Weasley with the same eyes and wild hair as her mother. Her arms came up to fold over her chest as she looked around, finally locking her gaze on Draco and seeming to relax a bit.

The ring on her left hand caught on the light of the fire as she stepped a bit closer to his chair, the fire reflecting in the smooth silver band and inset emerald stones. “Is Scorpius around?” she asked, her voice sounding scratchy and hoarse. As she stopped beside his chair, Draco could make out the faint smudges beneath her eyes as though she had just been crying before she came.

Sighing, he shook his head, and gestured one pale hand at the only other chair in the room in silent offer for her to sit. “Congratulations,” he offered as she took a seat, and her brown eyes darted down to the engagement ring around her finger. “I assume Mr. Weasley was not so pleased to hear the news?”

Rose ran her fingers through her hair, a defeated sigh slipping from her slightly parted lips. “He said no daughter of his would be marrying a Malfoy.”

“Your father is an arse,” Draco stated plainly, lifting his book from his lap again and holding it open in his hands. From the corner of his eye, he could see the witch raise her gaze to him for a moment, as though considering his words. At last, the woman smiled and gave the smallest nod.

“I suppose he is.”


	5. Gifts From Ghosts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Title:** Gifts From Ghosts  
>  **Character(s):** Hermione Granger, Severus Snape  
>  **Rating:** G  
>  **Word Count:** 620  
>  **Prompt(s):** sortinghatdrabs - Hermione Granger and Severus Snape, photo prompt  
>  **Summary:** Every morning, as she passed through the Potions classroom toward the private lab behind, there had been one waiting for her. And, every morning, she suspiciously checked it with her wand for poisons and spells before biting into the slightly bitter fruit.  
>  **Author's Notes:** This piece actually won runner up _and_ mod's choice for the week, so... hey, that's kinda awesome!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.

Her first thought was of the house elves. Perhaps one of them had suspected she hadn't been eating properly, with the amount of time she spent held up in the dungeon labs. That idea was quickly quelled, however, when she reminded herself that she filled and then cleaned her plate at every meal, and she'd never called one of the elves to her rooms to bring her food.

Her second thought was of Minerva. The older witch's mother hen attitude as Hermione's former Head of House had followed her through to becoming Headmistress of Hogwarts. While it was now spread out over all of the staff- and Hermione assumed the students as well, once they arrived for the start of term- Minerva's tendency to interfere when she was 'concerned' could rival that of Dumbledore.

After Floo calling the Headmistress to thank her for the thoughtful gesture and being told in a rather startled tone that she'd had nothing to do with it, Hermione had quickly tossed that idea out as well.

A thoughtful student was out, considering that the first school term since the Final Battle wouldn't begin for another month. She'd have suspected one of the other professors, had it not been for the knowledge that she was the first to move back into the castle, and most of them were still away, enjoying the newfound peace of the wizarding world.

Frowning to herself, Hermione plucked the shiny green apple from the stack of books on her desk. Every morning, as she passed through the Potions classroom toward the private lab behind, there had been one waiting for her. And, every morning, she suspiciously checked it with her wand for poisons and spells before biting into the slightly bitter fruit.

"I would almost be offended by that," drawled a familiar voice, the sound unsettlingly close to her ear as Hermione spun sharply on her heel, "had I not done the same each morning you left one for me."

"S-Snape?" She blinked in surprise at the transparent form in front of her, not realizing until it landed on the stone floor at her feet with a dull thud that she had lost her grip on the apple. "You-"

"Your powers of observation are, as ever, astounding." Severus Snape's sneer had lost all of its effect, although whether it was due to a lack of ill will behind it or his lack of a corporeal body, Hermione wasn't certain. "Do close your mouth, Miss Granger; the gaping is rather unattractive."

Hermione snapped her mouth shut, a startled blush creeping into her cheeks as she watched her former professor float around her toward the wall between the classroom and the private potions lab. "Wait," she said, her voice more shrill than she'd intended as she stopped him short of leaving. "Why...?"

"Why what?" Snape asked, pausing halfway through the wall, much to Hermione's surprise. "Why am I still here, or why have I been leaving you the apples?"

"Both?"

"Hogwarts was the only place I was at all accepted in life," he answered quietly after a long moment of silence. His gaze followed Hermione as she bent to retrieve the fallen apple. Focused intently on her face and sending a tremor rippling along her spine. "I was not prepared to leave it behind so soon...."

Swallowing nervously, Hermione lowered her eyes to the bitten apple now cradled in her hands, although she still felt his eyes on her. "And... why the apples, Professor?"

There was a small chuckling sound from Snape's direction, and Hermione's attention snapped to him again as the flush in her cheeks deepened slightly. "That answer is my own, Miss Granger; and I intend to keep it as such."


	6. Unfriendly Territory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Title:** Unfriendly Territory  
>  **Character(s):** Harry Potter, Lucius Malfoy, Ron Weasley  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 356  
>  **Prompt(s):** sortinghatdrabs - Lucius Malfoy, photo pompt  
>  **Summary:** Harry finds himself lost in... unfriendly territory  
>  **Author's Notes:** This piece won the week, so that's pretty cool!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.

Harry skidded around the corner of the building and groaned as he found himself facing an empty stretch of alleyway. He could see the opening at the far end that led into the next branch of the labyrinth that was Knockturn Alley, and strained his ears for any sound of boots thudding against the rain-soaked cobblestones. Sighing when he heard none, Harry leaned against the wall of the shop he'd just rounded and reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Mister Potter."

Glancing around at the familiar voice, Harry's gaze settled on Lucius Malfoy standing just a bit further down the alley. The older man pushed away from the wall he leaned against and approached him, the _click_ of his cane against the stones echoing in the quite space.

"It seems that your Auror training has not stuck well enough, if you have wandered into such... unfriendly territory alone."

Harry's eyes narrowed at the perceived threat, and his hand tightened around his wand as Lucius stepped closer. Lucius glanced down and smirked as he noticed his white-knuckled grasp.

"Now, there is no need for that," he drawled, easily batting Harry's hand away when he raised his wand arm. "I have no intention of fighting with you, after all."

Harry attempted to step back from Lucius, only to scuff his shoes against the alley wall as Lucius came to stand directly in front of him, bracing his hands on either side of Harry's head as he pinned him in place.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry snapped, bringing his wand up again, threateningly. Without shifting his attention from Harry's face, Lucius smirked and leaned in slightly.

" _You_ , Mister Potter," he said simply. One hand shot out to grab hold of Harry's wrist, catching the other man by surprise.

"Wha-"

_Crack._

"Harry?" Ron yelled as he rounded a shop and came to stand at the mouth of the same stretch of alleyway, looking around in confusion. Frowning to himself, Ron stuffed his hands into his robes and darted through the uninhabited alley, straining his ears for Harry's voice.

'Could have sworn I heard him...'


	7. Christmas Trees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Title:** Christmas Trees  
>  **Character(s):** Teddy Lupin, Victoire Weasley  
>  **Rating:** G  
>  **Word Count:** 100  
>  **Summary:** Teddy and Victoire picking out a Christmas tree.  
>  **Author's Notes:** Written for katelinmr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.

"That one's too big, Ted."

A few feet ahead, her best friend flashed her a pout before bounding up to the large pine. He circled it, a wide grin on his face as his hair flashed colours in excitement for a moment.

"Come on, Vic, it'd be perfect!"

"It'll never fit in the flat," Victoire sighed. Teddy harrumphed, his hair changing back to its normal shade of turquoise while she shook her head with a fond smile. "How about that one?" she asked, pointing at a slightly smaller tree, and in a flash, Teddy was off again, grinning once more.


	8. The Mark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Title:** The Mark  
>  **Character(s):** Severus Snape  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 560  
>  **Summary:** Severus Snape receives his Mark.  
>  **Author's Notes:** Written for the Drabble/Drawble Day on hp_darkarts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.

A shiver rippled along his spine as he dropped himself to his knees with all the desperation of a man dying of thirst at the edge of a spring. Dark boots, shining and clean despite the dirt floor of the clearing, loomed in front of him, and he raised his gaze as a cold hand wrapped tight around his wrist and jerked his left arm up into the air over his head. His heart raced and hammered in his ears, and his chest heaved slightly with every ragged gasp for air as he watched the black sleeve of his robes slither down along his skin to bare his forearm, pale skin almost glowing in the thin rays of moonlight that pierced the thick ring of trees surrounding them. Almost as though the forest itself held it's breath, everything fell silent as the man before him produced his wand and brought it to press hard into the soft flesh of his forearm.

And for one, agonizing moment, all the world stood still as Severus gazed at the tip of that wand and the way his flesh was indented around it. He could see the way his own pulse fluttered in anticipation, and as though that one minute shift beneath his skin broke a spell, a soft breeze blew through their clearing, rustling the robes of the other men circled around him, and Severus looked up into the red eyes overhead. A whisper was all he heard, a low, sibilant hiss of a spell, before the pain seared through his arm and his head snapped back as a scream tore from his throat.

It was pain and it was rapture, the burn that tore through flesh and muscle and bone; that set his veins on fire and his blood boiling inside him. And then, as quickly as it had come, the agony fell away, and the hand released him, leaving his arm to fall limp into his lap, where Severus gazed at it, as he struggled to pull his breathing under control once more. Stark black lines marring pale flesh that almost didn't even look his own any more, in that one moment. The Mark writhed on his skin for an instant before his eyes, the snake shifting and rippling before it all settled and smoothed, and Severus let out a sigh as he doubled forward on his knees and pressed his lips to the soft leather of those dark boots that stayed before him.

His skin still flared with remnants of the pain around the edges of the Mark, as he was ordered to stand again, and Severus' arm twitched imperceptibly at his side as he took his place within the Circle once more. When he left – when he was home – he would take the time to see it properly. To caress and trace the lines that marred his skin with fingertips and tongue; to worship the Mark he had laboured so long to earn. But not yet, and not here, in front of all of them, where his desperation would be weakness. Here, he held his back tall and his chin high as he watched the Dark Lord take his place at the front of their circle once more, and drank in every instant of the brief glance those red eyes graced him with before their meeting officially began.


	9. User Error

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Title:** User Error  
>  **Character(s):** Neville, Hermione, unnamed OMC  
>  **Pairing(s):** Neville/Hermione  
>  **Rating:** G  
>  **Word Count:** 100x3  
>  **Prompt(s):** neville100 prompt 406: Fortnight  
>  **Summary:** Neville struggles with Muggle technology and trends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Disclaimer:** I do not own or claim to own any characters, settings, locations, etc. from Harry Potter. All borrowed aspects of the above fandom are used purely for entertainment in a fanwork, and will be returned to their proper fandom and owners scratch, dent, and injury-free.  
>  **Author's Notes:** Unbeta'd, so all mistakes are entirely my own. This just came to mind the second I saw the prompt and it had to be done, apparently.

Muggle technology would eternally confound him, Neville was certain of that.

No matter how many times Hermione or the kids tried to explain it to him, he was never going to understand. Between the computers, the cell phones, and the consoles, it was as if the moment he got a grasp on what was current, something new came out and he was left scrambling to make sense of it again. 

Not to mention all the strange trends that came along with it all. Apps and challenges and video games... At this point, he'd just stopped trying to keep up.

Mostly.

* * *

"No, you want your pickaxe for that, it'll be faster."

Neville frowned at the screen. "How do I take that out?"

"You hold the triangle button... No... No- Dad!"

"What??"

Neville blinked in confusion as his son took the controller out of his hands. He'd been hitting the button, but all that happened was his character completely ignoring the pickaxe, in favor of swapping back and forth between some kind of firearm and a sword.

"You have to _hold_ the button," his son demonstrated, managing to make the character put away their weapons and hold their severely oversized pickaxe instead.

* * *

"I don't get it," Neville groused, leaning against the kitchen counter. He caught a glimpse of Hermione hiding a smile as she turned away.

Their son had tried for the better part of an hour to teach him how to play the game, but all Neville had managed to do was run in circles and ineffectively swing his pickaxe at some cartoon inferi.

"Why is it called Fortnight, anyway? It would take that long to learn to play, I guess..."

Hermione snorted, and quickly stifled the sound with a hand over her mouth. "It's not- ... It's called _Fortnite_ , Neville."


End file.
